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Re: 17 months and not eating much

I wouldn't hesitate to get him weighed if you really feel that instinctive tug that says "well something just doesn't seem right". My DS recently went through a period of "yeah, no thanks" on the solids front and because he was ill I got a bit worried he was heading in the wrong direction. He started picking up on the nursing more and a new tooth came so we concluded that it was a short-lived phase.

Tots this age are SO busy and their growth slows dramatically, it might even stall for a period of time. It sounds like he still loves to nurse often so he's getting a good load of calories there (do you also pump while at work?).

Do you eat together? I noticed DS eats better if I eat along with him (my turn/your turn etc). Make meals pressure-free (for both of you) and just continue offering a variety of nutritious items.

It can be startling to see their growth slow after that first year of huge gains in weight/length and head circumference.

Him looking a bit stringy beany might mean he growing taller though his next well baby is likely at 18 months right? Don't hesitate to get him seen sooner if you're concerned mama.

HTHs!

Punk-rock luvin mate to DH and mama to DD1 (born '03) , DD2 (born '08) and nursling DS (born '11) who survived infant botulism.

Re: 17 months and not eating much

Meh. Erin, I don't even pay attention to what or how much Trixie eats. Your son may have had a growth spurt. He may be teething and his gums hurt. Solids is not something I worry about, especially if they are nursing on demand when you are together. Lilah only started to eat very many solids when my milk went away from pregnancy at around 18/19 months. I think this is normal for a breastfed baby. Also, there are some things that Trixie will eat a ton of - like mashed potatos and gravy, but I'm not going to give that to her for dinner every day just to get her to fill up her stomach. She gets the same food as the rest of us and eats it or not - same as Lilah.

Re: 17 months and not eating much

My LO tends to eat more when I'm eating the same food. I sometimes put her food on my plate and use the same type of utensil instead of the baby spoon. This sometimes works but not always. She also tends to do better when she's eating something she can bite into. Instead of cutting up everything, I try to let her bite into them like a banana or toast or a cereal bar. It also helps when I give her something to hold when I'm feeding her like a spoon. I tried to only let her feed herself but she doesn't eat as well like that so I do a combination of letting her feed herself and feeding her. With all this said, she still does go through phases of not wanting to eat and she usually cuts a tooth around the same time. Just keep trying and try to keep feedings fun and stress-free. We play peek-a-boo during meals. When she's in a better mood she eats much better. Good luck!

Re: 17 months and not eating much

Mine started getting canines around 17 months (they have been just horrible) and didn't eat much. He liked cold fruit sometimes. I put tomatoes, cucumbers, bananas, pears, etc. in the fridge so they would be cold for him and he seemed to like it.

I also did something akin to this:

Originally Posted by @llli*mommy2lilah

One thing I did with Lilah at this age was follow her around and hand her bites of food - like a cheese stick cut up into smaller pieces, crackers, fruit, etc.

I took a plate and sat on the couch (or a bag of snacks at the park) and let my son zip by and take a bite here and there as he played. Sometimes I would take a plate of the dinner he had just refused to eat at the table. Sometimes just some snacks (sliced fruit, veggies, cheese, crostini). He would actually eat surprisingly well that way sometimes..

Re: 17 months and not eating much

Yes Sam is super on and off with food. Some days he will literally eat like 5 bites total all day! I also do the "pick platter" where I put a variety of stuff in an ice cube tray and let him snack on that as he pleases. It drives my mom insane, but it gets food into him. I will do veggies, hummus, large curd cottage cheese or shredded cheese, pasta, garbanzo beans, etc. What I used to do when he was super skinny was to cook everything in olive oil or coconut oil, add healthy fay to everything. Will he drink smoothies?